309 posts categorized "Injuries"

He's used 12 different batting orders (even when not including the pitcher).

When the Phillies play their last game on Sept. 29 in Atlanta, I expect that by then Sandberg will have repeated a few lineups.

But nobody can say he's not giving guys chances.

He's used four different leadoff hitters, four guys out of the two-hole, two players out of the three-spot, three from the cleanup spot, three out of the five-hole, three from the six-hole, five from the seven-spot and six from the eight-hole.

And he's changed around their defensive positions, too. Nobody has started more than 10 games (Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins) at the same position since Sandberg took the reigns.

WELLS HAS "VISION PROBLEMS"

I certainly don't envy the situation Casper Wells is in.

The Phillies placed Wells on the disabled list Monday with "vision problems." He reportedly had LASIK eye surgery last offseason, has seen multiple doctors since then and tried contacts and prescription goggles.

Now, according to writers traveling with the team, the Phillies decided to send Wells to Wills Eye in Philadelphia.

Wells is just 1-for-23 since joining Philadelphia and 11-for-71 this season.

“You don’t know if he was struggling or not seeing the ball well,” GM Ruben Amaro
Jr. told writers in New York, “but obviously he was having those issues, so that could be part
of it.”

Sandberg said to writers at Citi Field that Wells also experienced dry eyes in the outfield.

he
28-year-old outfielder had LASIK surgery last November but issues
lingered. Sandberg said Wells tried contacts and the prescription
goggles. Nothing helped.
"He's also experienced some dry eye in the outfield," Sandberg said.
"They dry up when he tries to blink. He tries to blink to gain focus.
He's really battling something. It finally got to the point where he
didn't feel right about that. He mentioned production and betterment of
the team and himself to see if he can get that fixed.Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/phillies_zone/Vision-problems-send-Casper-Wells-to-DL.html#GLprBa5m1SuiQmd2.99

The
28-year-old outfielder had LASIK surgery last November but issues
lingered. Sandberg said Wells tried contacts and the prescription
goggles. Nothing helped.
"He's also experienced some dry eye in the outfield," Sandberg said.
"They dry up when he tries to blink. He tries to blink to gain focus.
He's really battling something. It finally got to the point where he
didn't feel right about that. He mentioned production and betterment of
the team and himself to see if he can get that fixed.Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/phillies_zone/Vision-problems-send-Casper-Wells-to-DL.html#GLprBa5m1SuiQmd2.99

The
28-year-old outfielder had LASIK surgery last November but issues
lingered. Sandberg said Wells tried contacts and the prescription
goggles. Nothing helped.
"He's also experienced some dry eye in the outfield," Sandberg said.
"They dry up when he tries to blink. He tries to blink to gain focus.
He's really battling something. It finally got to the point where he
didn't feel right about that. He mentioned production and betterment of
the team and himself to see if he can get that fixed.Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/phillies_zone/Vision-problems-send-Casper-Wells-to-DL.html#GLprBa5m1SuiQmd2.99

Jonathan Pettibone had a setback following his rehab outing Tuesday with Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

The Phillies rookie has shoulder soreness (he's on the DL for a right shoulder strain) and will have some tests and an MRI tomorrow, interim manager Ryne Sandberg said.

Roy Halladay, who started for Single-A Lakewood on Tuesday in a rehab outing, will start Sunday for Double-A Reading.

"The only thing that I
can say about Doc is his determination and his fire that burns within and his
makeup, all that combination and character is the thing that stands out right
now," Sandberg said. "Right now, it’s a matter of him
having his rehab assignments, seeing how things go and seeing how he
progresses."

Team physician Dr. Michael Ciccotti recommended season-ending
surgery for Lannan, who, according to assistant general manager Scott
Proefrock, ruptured a tendon in his left knee. Lannan will get a second opinion
from Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles next week.

On Thursday, Howard will start
baseball activities, which includes a hitting program, taking ground balls and
doing some jogging. The surgery on left knee to repair torn cartilage was July
10 and the original timetable for his return was six to eight weeks. Tomorrow
(Aug. 21) is the six-week mark. Eight weeks would be Sept. 4.

I wouldn’t count on Howard coming
back this year. The club has a lot of money invested in him and it doesn’t want
to risk throwing him out there if he’s not 100 percent. Maybe things would be
different if the team were in the playoff hunt.

“I did not see Ryan yesterday but
everybody that saw him said he looked like he’s in good shape,” Proefrock said.
“I think that’s the main thing, to get a foundation back up for him.”

Revere, who has been out since
July 14 and is recovering from surgery for a broken bone in his right foot, ditched
his crutches yesterday, Proefrock said he is finally weight-bearing.

“He’s headed in the right
direction as well,” Proefrock said. “Hopefully, I don’t know whether Ryan or
Ben will be back on the field here or in Florida, but the expectation is that
they’ll be back on the field somewhere before the end of the season. Whether
it’s up here, whether they’re playing in instructional league, I don’t know.”

Stutes (right biceps tendinitis) is
long-tossing, although he has not thrown off a mound. Proefrock thinks a return
this year for him could happen. Jeremy Horst (left elbow sprain) was scheduled to
see a doctor today, but Proefrock had not yet gotten a medical update on him.
Savery (left elbow stiffness) will go on a rehab assignment later this
week, likely in Florida.

Proefrock added the team is hoping Mike Adams will be ready for spring training after his shoulder surgery.

The Phillies catching situation got even more interesting this week, and definitely more challenging for the front office.

Carlos Ruiz will be a free agent at the end of this year, and there's a chance the Phillies were (and might still be) at times thinking about not re-signing him.

That idea was made more difficult this week.

The organization has shut down Triple-A catcher Tommy Joseph for the rest of the season. Ruben Amaro Jr. said he is still having symptoms from a concussion he had in May. Concussions can have a cumulative affect, and it's not Joseph's first.

"That’s a big hole for us next year," Amaro said. "Whether it’s Chooch
coming back to us and being our No. 1 catcher or whether it’s somebody
else, I don’t know if we have that internal candidate right now because Tommy
didn’t really have a chance to develop. Frankly, I don’t know if Tommy would
have been ready even if he had a full year. He’s still young. It’s an issue and
it’s something we’re going to have to address, whether it be a trade or free
agency or Chooch that remains to be seen."

Amaro couldn't rule out the need for Joseph to switch positions, but the GM admitted that would be a tough move to make.

"He’s played some first base, but he’s going to have to
really hit to play first base," Amaro said. "I think he can be a good offensive player, but
he’s a much better offensive player behind the plate than at first base. It’s a
possibility, but he’s really going to have to whack it."

Surely, the Phillies had been hoping Joseph would have progressed enough this season to get a September call-up this year. I could have envisioned him being the second catcher on the team's 25-man roster in 2014.

Maybe the hope was that Ruiz would have been willing to come back for two years, where in the first year (2014) he'd serve as the starter and mentor to Joseph, and in the second year (2015), he'd become the back-up to Joseph.

Now that scenario seems unlikely. And the Phillies don't really have another catcher that seems ready. They haven't been convinced of the progress of Sebastian Valle, who ended 2012 with Lehigh Valley but has been with Double-A Reading all year this season. He's hitting only .211.

Cameron Rupp has taken over for the IronPigs. Although he's hitting .250 this year with Lehigh Valley, he's been hurried through the system, mostly because of Joseph's injury (and other injuries to Phillies catchers that caused a trickle-down affect). He started last year playing for Single-A Clearwater. It's hard to imagine he'd be ready to catch 30-40 games in the big leagues next year.

“We’re just being
very, very conservative with [Joseph]," Amaro said. "There’s no reason to put him in harm’s way."

I predicted a couple months ago that Roy Halladay wouldn’t
pitch in a Phillies game again this season.

After getting a 13-minute update from the two-time Cy Young
award winner Wednesday afternoon, it certainly appears as though I was wrong.

Halladay will be on a plane heading to Clearwater tomorrow
and is scheduled to throw a simulated game on Saturday at the Carpenter
Complex. He will face hitters and thinks there may be fielders there too.

He said, “it’s possible” that he could be in a minor league
rehab game after throwing just one simulated game. Members of the organization
and Halladay will meet at some point after his outing Saturday to determine the next
step.

"I’m not interested in coming back and pitching at the same
level I was early this year," Halladay said. "I want to come back and pitch at a high level."

The right-hander threw a 75-pitch, five-up, five-down
session on Monday before throwing a 30-pitch bullpen today. He said he’s
had no setbacks since his shoulder surgery in May and is “very encouraged” by
how his recovery has gone so far.

He has no timetable for his return, but it definitely sounds
like he will attempt a comeback this year. Halladay’s 2014 option will not vest, and that will make
him a free agent at the end of the season.

“I’m not worried about next year,” he said. “I want to come
back and pitch and be a part of things and be effective. I feel like there’s a
lot going on in there that was affecting things and really, for myself,
[be able to] come back and know that this is something I can overcome. To come back and
pitch, I think that means more than anything.

Is he still hoping to come back to Philadelphia next year even with the ways things have gone this year?

"[It] would obviously be my first choice if everything goes the way I feel it's going to go," he said.

The Phillies left fielder, who has been on the disabled list
since July 25 with a concussion, said he is going on a rehab assignment Monday
and Tuesday, and could be back in Philadelphia on Wednesday for the second to
last game of the homestand.

“It feels like it’s been a long time (since I played),”
Brown said. “I’m not going to lie to you.”

When Brown went on the disabled list, he was hitting .271
with 24 home runs and 69 RBIs. Despite
having missed the last nine games, he still leads the team in homers and RBIs.

Lakewood plays in Hagerstown, Md., on Monday and Lakewood is
in Harrisburg on Tuesday.

Sitting on the bench has been driving Brown nuts, but he’s
been trying to put his time to good use.

“I usually watch the hitters on both teams,” Brown said.

It could make for an interesting situation when Brown returns. In his absence, Darin Ruf has primarily been in left field. And the organization wants to give Ruf playing time. Ruf could slide over to play more first base, but then that means Michael Young would be playing third base, and the team wants to see what Cody Asche can do.

So maybe, just maybe, the Phillies will should consider cutting Delmon Young and shifting Brown back to right field.

Delmon Young is hitting .267 with eight home runs and 31 RBIs in 76 games. He has an OBP of just .310.

Brown said it doesn't matter to him whether he plays left field or right field.

Charlie Manuel didn't address Delmon Young's future with the organization, but he's not dismissing the possibility of playing Brown in right field.

As part of Alumni Weekend at Citizens Bank Park, Darren Daulton came to town.

The former Phillies catcher walked into the media room at Citizens Bank Park looking like himself and smiling at everyone. After he spoke for almost four minutes, he shared a hug with several people in the room, including former teammate Larry Andersen, analyst Chris Wheeler and long-time Daily News writer Paul Hagen.

Here is what Daulton, who is battling brain cancer, said.

"Number One, thanks to all of your guys and everything that we’ve
kind of experienced, for jeez, a month. It’s a little surprising when it
happened. I remember being on 97.5 The Fanatic for the show this season. There
were a couple appearances where I showed up (but) couldn’t figure out what was going
on and I was having trouble explaining a little bit of baseball. And after
doing this for 20 years of my life that I could experience this, it was a
little difficult. Right now I have a little bit of problems during the day
where I can’t understand what I’m … I mean I know what’s going on,but I have a
problem with talking to myself. This eventually is going to … I’ll get better
with it. Being a part of Philadelphia for all of these seasons and going to
Alumni Weekend, it's just something that you get to hang your hat on for the
weekend. It’s Philadelphia and all I’ve spoken about Philadelphia for many
years. I feel like it’s my home and I feel like it’s my family. I really enjoy
this and this weekend we’re going to have a blast. It’s just really fun to be a
part of. What I’m experiencing right now
is obviously going to start next Friday. I’m a player. Right now I think I’m
done with the surgery and I really think I am. But for some reason I’m supposed
to go through (chemotherapy). I can’t
talk about it, I guess, but I feel like it’s over. Again, thank you for
everybody here in Philadelphia. And the fans, it’s just phenomenal and obviously
the media still is. If anybody needs anything, I don’t know if I can talk this
out for a half an hour, but anyway, thanks very much and I still love being
around you guys. Thank you."

The Phillies announced that John Lannan will start on short rest tomorrow and Cliff Lee will pitch Sunday.

Lannan said he's doesn't remember ever pitching on short rest, except for maybe when he was a teenager. But he is confident and totally on board with the decision.

Pitching coach Rich Dubee told The Morning Call that Jonathan Pettibone, who was placed on the DL earlier today with a right shoulder strain, had some discomfort last weekend in Detroit.

"He didn’t throw great in the bullpen in Detroit," Dubee said. "And then in
the game I really wasn’t too pleased with his arm action. I thought he pushed a
lot of balls up to the plate. That concerned me.

"I asked him when he came out. I said, 'What’s going on? In
the bullpen he said, 'I’m just trying to cut it back a little,' which is common,
especially for a kid who has pitched 100-plus innings up here now. But i said he didn't look right and he said his shoulder was stiff and that it wasn't going on that long. He said he was having a tough time getting loose."

Dubee added that he doesn't expect Pettibone will miss the rest of the season.

"I fully expect he'll be back," Dubee said.

Zach Miner, called up earlier Friday, will be available out of the bullpen.

A day after Cliff Lee said he was moving in the right direction and hoped to pitch on Sunday, the Phillies placed right-handed rookie pitcher Jonathan Pettibone on the disabled list with a right shoulder strain. Ethan Martin, who arrived in the clubhouse yesterday, was officially activated and will take Pettibone's roster spot. He is starting tonight.

The Phillies also designated reliever J.C. Ramirez for assignment. Ramirez, acquired from Seattle in the Lee trade, had a 7.43 ERA in 11 appearances. He gave up 17 hits, including three home runs, in 13 1/3 innings pitched. He walked eight and struck out nine.

To take his place on the 25-man roster, Zach Miner had his contract selected. The 31-year-old hasn't pitched in the big leagues since 2009. From 2006-09, he posted a 4.29 ERA in 157 games, 35 of which were starts.

With Triple-A Lehigh Valley this year, Miner was 5-6 with a 3.90 ERA. Of the 27 games in which he appeared, he started 12. He walked 28 and struck out 54 in 85 1/3 innings pitched.

Nothing has been announced yet as to who will start Saturday's game against the Braves, but for now I'm going to guess it will be Miner. He made relief appearances on July 13, 19 and 21 with the IronPigs and then made back-to-back starts on July 25 and 30. He has thrown 5.0 innings only twice since June 23, so expect that if he does start Saturday's game, the rest of the bullpen will definitely factor in.

I'll have more about this in the next hour or so after the clubhouse opens and the coaching staff is available.